


InGen's Frankenstein

by Raisans_Grapeon



Category: Jurassic World Trilogy (Movies)
Genre: A LOT of Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Body Horror, Friendship, Human Experimentation, To be added to as the series goes on, Transformation, Unethical Experimentation, barry is a good friend
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-07-21 00:38:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16148903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raisans_Grapeon/pseuds/Raisans_Grapeon
Summary: Owen shuddered to think of what this implied as he reread the job contract he had signed o so carelessly. He didn’t need to look up at Dr. Wu’s face to know it had a sickening smirk on it. He knew he had won, and Owen had already signed off on this. “As you can see, Mr. Grady, you are ours to use.”He couldn’t argue there, because right there, his contract said, “You agree to be used in any experimentation that any In-Gen scientist wishes to use you in.”Well now Owen was in deep shit.Updates Weekly





	1. It's in the Contract

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for clicking it means a lot to me so, let me just outline a few things before I start.  
> Updates will come weekly. I have a stock pile in case school gets in the way.  
> This will have some pretty graphic body horror later on. It doesn't come until later but none the less, it does happen eventually. Take that as you will.  
> And finally, I am not an English major or anything. I am just a dude who likes writing and trying to create suspense in his words. If you have any pointers, criticism, or directional advice, please feel free to give it. I just want to get better.
> 
> Thank you and enjoy.

The sun broke over the tree line, and Owen Grady was looking down into the Raptor Paddock with a light smile on his face. The girls were currently chattering about whatever Raptors chatter about. He let out a light huff, pondering what they could be talking about. How many times did they forget that they are prisoners? Did they even know? They had to, surely. Maybe they talked about him. Or just humans in general. How much could they understand? What was the extent their brain could comprehend? Well, maybe they really understood English, but just didn’t have the voicebox to talk back. They hardly seemed like just animals sometimes to Owen. Maybe it was just because Owen was the Alpha, but nonetheless, it was a feeling he’d get whenever he looked too closely. Blue croaked, tilting her head up as she did so. Echo chirped a couple times, which prompted Delta to snap playfully at her, but clearly irritated by whatever Echo had said. Charlie loudly bellowed, breaking it into 3 ‘ohs’ at the end. Delta snarled a bit and croaked a couple times. Blue’s head dropped a bit before chittering and clacking a bit to emphasize something, or so Owen thought. Echo croaked and screeched, stepping up in a bit of defiance. Delta hissed, less anger behind this one, but more as a surrender. Charlie chirped, and tilted her head at Echo like she said something stupid. Blue growled and snapped at Echo, making her sister back down a bit. Blue let her head raise up triumphantly, and screeched loudly. Owen could almost formulate a conversation that was most likely far off from what they were actually talking about.

“-ey? Owen? Hey, Owen!” Owen perked up when Barry’s hand hit his spine in between his shoulder blades. He looked back at his fellow trainor, who was holding some papers that were supposedly the daily reports that never got sent anyway, but they both loved to pretend. Barry smiled, and looked down at the papers, as if to remind himself of why he even bothered Owen’s inner-monologue. “So the lab wants to see you. Wu wouldn’t tell me why.” He met Owen’s eyes and gave a sympathetic smile, knowing full well that Owen didn’t like the lab for playing god.

Owen made an overdramatic groan, throwing his head back in distaste. “Do I have to do it now? I want to work with my girls a bit first. How about we schedule it for March 32?,” he joked, turning his gaze back over to the enclosure, watching as the group broke apart for some alone time. Though, to Owen, it looked like Blue got fed up with everyone already.

Barry shook his head in amusement but tisked a bit. “Sorry, but they said they want to see you right now. You know that the girls have nothing planned today, and I promise I’ll watch them and make sure no one falls into the pit.” He made a playful jab at Owen’s arm with his elbow, and let out a breathy laugh to try to ease some tension. This didn’t quell Owen’s reluctance, but he surrendered the Paddock to Barry for the time being, with a quick, “I’ll be back.” 

Owen passed a few of the miscellaneous workers inside the control sector of the Paddock without a nod of acknowledgment and descended down to his bike to get to the lab. Of course, he could take a few deators, and maybe the scenic route. Henry Wu can wait a few minutes.

A few minutes turned out to be an hour and Owen walked into the lab to meet an impatient Wu. Wu caught sight of Owen out of his peripheral, and glowered at him before regaining a professional front. Owen had his hands in his pockets, and looked around the stark white room with a casual disinterest, not really seeing anything noteworthy. It was the typical sciencey shit he didn’t quite understand, everything various shades of white and grey. The lab felt stuffy and uncomfortable, while Owen much prefered the forestation he lived in. He didn’t look Dr. Wu in the eyes as he approached. 

“Mr. Grady, thank you for coming. How was the travel across the 3 miles it is to get here? I assume your bike broke along the way?,” Wu inquired, a slight twinge playing at the edge of his forced smile.

Owen used one of his nails to pick absentmindedly at the spaces in between his teeth, looking at Wu indirectly. “Nah, she’s all good,” was all he gave the scientist.

Wu’s eyebrows furrowed a bit. “Did you bump into anyone?”

“Nope.”

“Then why did it take you a hour to arrive, hm?,” he asked accusingly, his smile now painfully out of place on his face. 

Owen, looked off into space, mocking Wu with fake thinking. “Uhh, well, I seem to have forgotten. How about we just cut the foreplay, nerd and get right to what you could possibly want with me? Here to complain about the lack of daily reports? I’d love to give you Echo’s measurements, but she’s so damn twitchy, ya know?,” he rambled off, every word dripping with sarcasm and malice. He now looked Wu in the eyes, but there was not an ounce of respect behind them. Owen doesn’t respect Frankenstein here.

Wu held a straight stance, looking indifferently into Owen’s eyes, but there was a shift. His eyes gleamed with curiosity, and an insatiable desire to know. It was unnerving, to say the least. “I want to run an experiment, and I want you to be my test subject.” He was blunt, and spoke as if this was okay to be asking someone. He had a confidence behind his voice, and a shift of power happened in a snap. Owen never felt so small, even among the most dangerous predators of history.

Owen coughed a bit, forcing a laugh out. “Ah, your humor knows no bounds, Wu. Now, enough joking.” His words didn’t quite align with his tone. A hint of fear had been laced in his words, and desperation drove them. His face was pensive, and his eyes begged for Wu to say something different.

Wu shook his head again, now fully aware of the kind of control he had. His soft, confident smile turned into a dangerous smirk. “I’m serious, Mr. Grady. You would be the perfect subject for our new test.”

Owen straightened, pulling his shoulders back to try to defy the menacing energy that seemed to radiate off of Wu. He processed the meaning behind his words, trying to find some way out. “You talk as though I have to accept. I don’t have to do anything you say!,” Owen fought back. Yet, Wu didn’t back down.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Grady, but you do. It’s in your contract. A personal addition, and a nice one might I add.”

“Bull shit,” Owen called his bluff. “Show me where that’s written down!”

It wasn’t a bluff.

Owen shuddered to think of what this implied as he reread the job contract he had signed o so carelessly. He didn’t need to look up at Dr. Wu’s face to know it had a sickening smirk on it. He knew he had won, and Owen had already signed off on this. “As you can see, Mr. Grady, you are ours to use.” 

 

He couldn’t argue there, because right there, his contract said, “You agree to be used in any experimentation that any In-Gen scientist wishes to use you in.”

Well now Owen was in deep shit.


	2. Dud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owen braces for impact.

Owen wanted to just close his eyes and wake up.

This all felt like some sort of sick dream to him. He sat on a examination table, sat in the middle of a room that was obviously barricaded and secured, as a woman stood to his side, preparing his arm for an injection. She talked to him as she went through the motions as if it would release the tension in his shoulders. Yes, it totally made him feel better that they tested this on mice and other various animals before him and have “perfected the serum.” Wu had advised the woman not to tell Owen what the serum did. He felt like just another mouse to them, that had no rights to knowing anything. 

“You ready?,” The woman, whom’s name tag called her Dr. Mayburn, asked with a honey sweet tone. Owen didn’t look at her or his arm, but nodded in reluctance. He inhaled sharply as the needle went seamlessly in and the liquid inside the syringe quickly drained. She was gentle with Owen till the needle was fully removed, when she suddenly booked it for the door, opening and closing it with a panicked haste. It sent Owen’s nerves to the moon, but he retained his composure, and took deep breaths, expecting to grow a third arm or some crazy mutation shit. His sore arm gripped the table in apprehension and his eyes squeezed shut in anticipation.

An eerie silence hung in his room.

His stomach was doing flips in his body.

He held his breath…

For nothing.

Owen opened one eye and looked around. No blood on the walls. He could feel everything he was supposed to. He opened his other eye and observed his body. He was still in his usual outfit. One hand lifted up to feel his beard and hair. Every hair was still there. Owen hopped off the table to test his feet. No numbness or balance issues. He felt completely normal.

The reinforced door opened, revealing Wu and Mayburn. They looked underwhelmed and disappointed. Wu shook his head sorrowfully. “Shame. Okay you can go now.” Wu stood aside, and gestured to the hall, expecting Owen to take off running. However, he was met with a man in his face, ready to hoist him up by his shirt.

“What? You ask me to come here, make me aware that I am just a lab rat, then send me off without an ounce of feeling? What kind of person are you!?,” Owen asked with disdain in his voice and fear in his heart. His eyes searched Wu’s face for something, anything, but there was nothing there.

Wu stared up at Owen, devoid of reaction. “Symptoms usually happen immediately, so we’ll just chalk this up to a dud and well get a new serum within a month or so.” He slipped to the side, and looked at Owen expectantly. Owen’s eyes narrowed, mouth in a tight line. “So please, just leave. You don’t want to be here and I don’t want you here.”

Owen huffed and turned away, leaving the doctors in the holding cell. When he exited the lab, he took in a deep breath and smiled. It felt so nice to have a gentle breeze hit him. The forest around him was welcoming, and the sky above infinite. Owen looked up to the clear blue, and watched the streaks of white drift carelessly across. Some might say he was too excited to be outside, but Owen would rather say people were too quick to go inside. With that though, he mounted his bike and reved off into the distance, taking the more direct line back to the Raptor Paddock, eager to see his pack.

Barry looked out the window, hearing Owen’s bike drawing closer. He eyed it as it pulled up and died down, before taking off to greet Owen at the stairs. He stepped out and smiled as his training partner stepped up the metal stairs. “So what did they want?,” Barry asked. “Whatever it was, it sure took a while.” He laughed lightly, patting Owen’s shoulder when he made it to the top of the walls. Owen shrugged a bit but was a bit more serious about what his friend asked.

“First, I took a longer route. I was not, and will never be jumping at the opportunity to see those people, especially Wu.” Barry found this comment amusing, nodding.

“Yeah, no kidding.”

Owen rolled his eyes playfully. “Yeah, yeah. But what they wanted is a prime example of why I don’t like InGen or their fucking scientists! I was called to be a science experiment!”

Barry’s smile disappeared, obviously a bit disturbed about the notion. “Really? Well, did you?”

Owen sighed, shoulders sagging a bit. “I kinda have to. It’s in my job contract.” He walked past Barry, heading straight for the catwalk to catch sight of his pack. He looked over the railing and looked around at the foliage to see if he could catch sight of a rusle or an amber eye. 

Barry chased Owen, still very confused and concerned. “Wait, in your contract? And what was it exactly for?” He had so many questions, and it was almost obvious that Owen was avoiding the subject, but he needed to give Barry a bit more information than ‘I was tested on and that’s that bud.’

Owen turned to face Barry, looking quite stressed. “Yeah, they pulled that sucker out and showed me in the fine print. And, they would not tell me what they were doing, but they just injected something in me. It didn’t do anything so they just let me go. End of story. So how about the girls? How were they?,” Owen asked to smoothly change the subject. 

Barry hummed slightly at the information but looked over into the enclosure with Owen. “They were fine. Feeding went smoothly.”

Owen nodded, smiling. “Always good to hear. Glad to know no one died this time. A red letter day for them.” He joked lightly just as Echo made her appearance, chirping up at Owen in some sort of greeting. For all Owen knew she was shit talking him each time she did that but he gave her the benefit of a doubt. He lifted his hand in acknowledgement and Charlie came into the scene, bellowing something to Echo, and Owen straightened, leaving the two alone. “What’s on the schedule for the rest of the day, Barry?,” he inquired, hands placed at his hips.

Barry pulled out a small checklist that he had to mark each day up. “Not much. Today’s feeding will hold them off till Friday, and tomorrow is pack training. So technically we could call it early.” He looked up at his friend, knowing full well Owen would just stand here and watch them for the rest of the designated time regardless if they had things to do.

However, Owen nodded, and headed off the balcony. “Then I guess we call it early. I’m a bit tired from dealing with Wu today, so I’m getting some rest. You with me, Barry?,” he looked back at his fellow trainer. Barry smiled, and followed wordlessly, Owen taking it as a yes. “I’m heading back to the Bungalow and probably rewatching some classics, you want to hang for a bit?,” he offered.

Barry smiled and rested his hand on Owen’s shoulder. “Sure. What’s on today?”

Owen grinned and said, “that’s for you to find out.”

Back at the Bungalow, Owen was laughing his head off at some of the classic Tom and Jerry skits and shenanigans, while Barry was nothing short of mildly amused. He couldn’t quite jive with the overblown abuse and torture. This gave him more time to observe his surroundings. The Bungalow was in slight dishevel as always, as Owen wasn’t organized, but wasn’t quite in trainwreck style.The wood and drapes inside were scarred with Raptor talons from the years that Owen had housed four babies in his home before they were old enough to live in the Paddock. Barry looked to Owen, whose eyes were fixed on the cartoon on his small TV. Owen scratched a bit at his arm, laughing loudly as Jerry dropped a piano on Tom. Barry smiled slightly and sat back to try to enjoy the show in some sort of way.

As the season ended, Owen looked over at Barry with a wide smile. “I guess cartoon violence isn’t really your thing?” Barry chuckled a bit at Owen’s comment but stood up wordlessly to leave the Bungalow to his own residence. Owen playfully scoffed, pretending to be offended. “Ugh! Not even a goodbye? You’re so cold, Barry!” Barry looked back as he opened the door and waved goodbye just to play along with it. Owen waved him off, a small smile playing at the edges of his lips.

It was getting late, and the moon had yet to rise up yet, leaving the sky a stark black. Owen stood, turning off his TV and turning off the lights, shrouding the interior in an inky black. He blinked a few times, eyes quickly adjusting to the low light. He walked down the hall, looking up at a photo frame he hung up on a wall. He let out a breathy laugh at the dumb look he had on his face in that picture. It was a picture of Owen and his mates from the Navy. Owen had just gotten a bucket of ice water dumped on his head, and the picture was taken in mid dump. He reminisced a bit, before walking past the old photo. In a tired shuffle, Owen moved to his bed, and flopped onto the sheets, not even bothering to get under them. It was there where he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.


	3. Symptoms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It came straight out of left field.

Owen was working with his girls a week after he went to see Wu, clicker in hand and the other inside the food pail. They have been nice and responsive today, which was a pleasant surprise for Owen. He smiled and lifted his arm up. “Eyes up!,” he ordered, watching intently as they extended their necks, eyes fixed on their Alpha. He let them hang for a bit, eyes shifting from one to the other before dropping his arm with a “GO!” sending the pack off. Barry could be heard laughing in the distance, getting closer as Barry approached Owen, clapping.

“That was quite a show today, Owen! They were even more attentive than they are on a good day! Did you coat yourself in Raptor pee or something?,” he joked, patting Owen on the back as he wrote something down on a clipboard. 

Owen snickered scratching at his forearms again. “Thanks for that lovely thought, Barry, but trust me, tomorrow they’ll be rowdy and unresponsive all over again.” He looked at the forestation as bushes and grass rustled as his pack raced around. Barry looked over to where Owen was staring, before looking down at Owen’s forearms which he had been scratching at for the past week since he went to the lab. “Do you have poison ivy, O- MON DIEU!” His eyes flew open in horror and shock, mouth agape.

Owen blinked, startled by the sudden shouting. Many eyes were drawn to his forearms, making Owen feel self-conscious. Each person let out their own gasp and or startled scream. With worry, and curiosity, he looked down to see for himself. “JESUS CHRIST!!” His skin had started to peel away where he was scratching previously, the skin effortlessly flaking away and revealing sandy brown scales that had brownish stripes scaring his once peachy arms. The closer you looked, you could see the brown bleeding through along the rest of his arms. Owen’s eyes were blown wide open, staring in abject horror at his forearms, hands starting to shake. He stumbled back like he expected to be able to run away from this situation. Barry tried to approach him, hands held out in defense like he was dealing with the Raptors. “Okay Owen, just calm down…” His voice was slow and delicate, like he might break Owen if he talked any faster. He took steps towards Owen while everyone backed up frantically. Owen hastily scratched at the scales that now adorned his skin, expecting it to flake away just as easily as his original skin had. “Owen, stop, we just need to figure out what is going on.”

Owen looked up with a new determination shining in his eyes, along with a harsh hatred. He let out a low growl, gripping his scaled arm with anger. “Wu.”

Barry greatly regretted letting Owen go to the lab again. The moment Mayburn, Wu, and the rest of the scientists saw him, they shoved him into a armored holding cell, that had a one way mirror that had a pull down metal cover, complete with cameras in every corner once Owen became too dangerous to leave the window cover up. Barry had a hand up against the glass, staring at his friend who was currently sitting on the center table where he had taken the injection. He was slumped over, eyes hidden from everyone observing. He looked defeated, his shoulders hunched and hands gripping his khaki shorts. Barry whipped his head over to Wu, who was sat in front of monitors and various machinery that was meant to keep Owen’s vitals in check, as if they actually cared about how he was doing. “What did you put into him?!,” Barry sneered, demanding an answer. 

Wu was unphased by Barry’s demand, scribbling something down on some post-its. “I simply injected him with a sort of virus that instead of injecting its own DNA, it will inject a Velociraptor’s DNA into his cells. The process is a lot slower than we had initially expected, his skin only just changing, so it could be assumed that this would be a month or so long process. But, by the end of it, Owen Grady will be a full fledged Velociraptor.” His eyes gleamed with fascination as he looked at Owen’s scally arms. The skin had almost completely flaked off, spreading to his face now. Wu had a smile that stretched from ear to ear. “It gives us the opportunity to truly understand the Velociraptors mind and activities now that we have one that was once human.”

Barry shook his head, looking back to Owen. He had his scaled palms facing upwards, like he was thinking about something. His nails had grown considerably, and were thicker than normal. After a few seconds, he started to scratch his cheek, more skin shavings fluttering to the floor and table. Barry sighed and glanced over to Wu again. “What makes you think he’ll understand you once he’s… you know….” Barry couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud, as if the moment he did it would all suddenly destroy any hope that this was all a dream. It would all become real. 

Wu, however, had no problem throwing this subject around like it was just another Wednesday night. “We aren’t sure how Mr. Grady’s brain will change, or if he’ll even remember anything. But, that’s science. Trial and error.”

This only caused Barry’s blood to boil, pulling Dr. Wu out of his seat and facing the angered Raptor trainer. Barry’s eyes bore holes into Wu’s, unbridled rage behind his glare. “You mean you just sacrificed my friend, not knowing what could happen to his brain!? Are you insane!? You’re turning Owen into a fucking Raptor just for the hell of it!?” His face fell the moment he said that, his gaze now soaked in sadness. He had said it. The reality of the situation he and Owen were in hit him like a train. His friend was as good as dead in his eyes, and Owen was as human as a bear in Wu’s. Barry’s grip loosened, hands unballing and releasing the doctor.

Wu straightened his coat, disturbed by Barry’s outburst and subsequence quelling. “It will be one of the greatest scientific advancements of our time. There has to be some failed experiments before we get the results we ultimately aim for. Not that we don’t hope that Mr. Grady survives this. If he doesn’t, then you have another Raptor in you pack.” He shrugged, and sat down again and shifted the cameras around to zoom in on Owen’s current position. Barry’s eyebrows furrowed before he turned and left the observatory. He’d be back tomorrow, but he needed to think this over first.


	4. Confinement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A guided look through gradual changes

Owen was laying down, his bare side pressed against the cold table. He had taken his clothes off as his muscles started to bulge more without him doing anything. He knew it was whatever they had done to him. Whatever those monsters had forced into his body. He shivered not from the temperature of the room, but at how frigid those people could be. He looked at his hands again, mouth pulled into a tight line. They were padded, but still human. For now. He was still human. Owen knew it couldn’t have been more than a day since they callously shoved him back into this cell without so much a kind word spoken to him from anyone other than Barry. He had actually tried to get the vultures to treat him like a living human, not another specimen on the shelf. But guards had intervened, forcing Barry to relinquish Owen to the people who essentially owned him now. Owen examined his nails. They had greatly thickened, and grown. They were more like claws now, but still somewhat linked to the bitten off stubbs that he had before. His gaze drifted upwards. Catching a look at himself in the mirror. He looked sickly. He had no hair anymore, just a thick hide of sandy yellow and brown stripes. His face in particular was about half brown, a sharp line drawn from the top of his nose, under his eyes, and down his back. From this central stripe, many of his other stripes slashed their way down, tapering off before they could meet at his belly or chest. His arms were covered in tapered stripes as were his legs. Owen moved to his eyes, staring directly at himself. He didn’t recognize his eyes anymore. They had started to take an amber pigmentation rather than his usual crystal blue. He didn’t recognize the person that lay on the medical examination table anymore. It was a monster. A soon to be monster. Which one, he had yet to find out. 

Owen sighed, cutting his self-examination off in favor of closing his eyes. A drifting thought asked if he could even fall asleep with all this going on, and Owen honestly couldn’t answer himself. It couldn’t hurt to try. 

A sharp pain cut through Owen’s thin sleep, forcing him to adjust his eyes to the sudden brightness of the room he was living in. His stomach contracted painfully, alerting every part of his body that it needed food and it needed it now. Owen lifted his head up and looked around to see if he could find anything. The room was still as monochromatic as it was when he had drifted off, minus his clothes that he had abandoned in the corner of the cell. Surrendering to his needs, Owen swung his legs out to stand up on the tile. It was shaky ground, but he found his footing rather quickly. Owen’s piercing amber eyes looked at the one way mirror, knowing there had to be someone there, ogling his junk or something. He walked up as casually as a scally reptilian man can, and knocked on the glass lightly before speaking. “Hey, so...I’m hungry. I’m sure neither of us want me starving. So like, pay up man.” He waited a few seconds, glancing about, tapping his foot in inpatients. He didn’t hear a response but that was to be expected. From what he could see, there were no speakers, even with another survey of the room. As he shifted over everything again, Owen took a look at each of the cameras in each corner of the room. Little red lights blinked at him in morse code, shrieking constantly. He sighed, walking the perimeter of his new territory, eyes staring at his scaled feet. 

A metallic groan called for Owen’s attention as the reinforced door was opened up. Owen paused, eyes focused intently on the doorway. It creaked open slowly, revealing Mayburn who held a classic styrofoam lunch tray, holding a seared steak, and a child’s carton of milk. It was obvious something hitched in her chest, because she held her breath as she eyed Owen with unease. Her movements were cautious when she bent over and lay the tray down onto the floor. She continued to stare, inching her way out of Owen’s view and sliding the door to a close once again. Owen rolled his eyes at how overdramatic everyone was acting around him. Sure, he was an ugly piece of work, but he wasn’t anything terrible quite yet, and he could still speak English. Whatever, it wasn’t important now. With a heavy plop, Owen dropped to the floor in front of his food. “No fork or knife? How rude,” he commented, but his usual bite was dulled. The minimal sustenance stared back at him as he picked up the slab of meat and bit into it. It didn’t have any seasoning on it, and it was over cooked, but he guessed it was better than nothing. 

The meal didn’t last long. Devouring the steak and drinking the milk wasn’t very difficult, and Owen was left with no stimulation again. He laid back onto the icy tiles, counting the speckles on the ceiling. Every 30 or so dots, he’d start to second guess himself and start over. The longer he spent on the dots, the more distinctive each one seemed to be. He was able to mark where he was, and create sectors with the number of dots in each one labeled in his head. As he crept his sights across the singular tile, he lifted a hand to point at each one as he listed them off. His index finger pointed at one small guy off of sector 12, but something about his hand caused Owen to abandon his quest to finally count all the dots on a ceiling tile. When he pointed up, isolating his index finger, one finger didn’t go all the way down. His middle finger seemed to hover just above his palm, and Owen’s thumb couldn’t drag it down any further. Each attempt felt like he was pinching his muscles between bones, and asking too much of his connecting ligaments. Owen’s mouth parted, blinking rapidly. 

It was always the small things, he guessed. 

It’s been a week and nothing has been changing. Sure, small things changed, like he could no longer move his index finger and middle finger independently, and the same was true for his ring and pinky fingers. His toes started to grow longer, and he found standing up straight to be uncomfortably difficult. It might’ve been easier to just do whatever was the new comfortable, but some part of him wanted to cling to what humanity he had left. Owen clinged to any human resemblance he could draw between him and the others who visited to drop off food or record his growth. He could stare at the mirror for hours, focused on every aspect that had changed, and try to reconstruct who he used to be. Owen would be lying if he said that he hadn’t forgotten. Minutes would drip slowly away whenever he stared at his eyes, and only his eyes. The amber in them was striking now, rich and vibrant, contrasting his muted scales. He’d ponder, what colour were his eyes before he entered this room? Old wires brought him to the sky, but that started making less sense. The sky was white, with black stars littering it’s limiting expanse. It was maddening. He was sure he was supposed to remember these things. From what he could remember, it had only been a week. Wasn’t his memory supposed to be better than this? Owen could detail the sear patterns on his last steak, or retell what he did, when, and in the exact sequence they happened, but life outside his new world began to blur. 

He could barely remember what his old friend looked like. His name was Barry, Owen was certain. Remembering was getting harder, but he could tell that each time someone came through the door, it wasn’t Barry. Owen had two different theories as to why his friend hadn’t come by to see him. First, he wasn’t allowed to interact with him, for unknown reasons, or second, he was just busy with his pack.

That was one of the few outside experiences that seemed to remain strong in his mind. He could draw out all of his girls. He could imitate Echo’s chittering laugh, or Deltas amused hiss. He could remember the way Charlie would stumble around the pond, and Blue’s stance that commanded respect. He could tell you which eye belonged to who. This fact only made Owen’s head hurt the more he thought about it. It all just didn’t make sense. 

A familiar screech of unoiled metal notified Owen of someone entering his domain. It was the first so it was feeding. He didn’t move, or even turn to look at who it was. Sure enough, the same sound resounded, and soft clunk and lock had confined Owen once again. His head swiveled around to look at his usual meal. 

The meat wasn’t seared.


	5. Overwhelming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It kicked off with a catalyst, and the rest is history.

Owen blinked awake to his usually blindingly bright world, which, as one would assume, makes it very hard to sleep in the first place. It burned his eyes every time he woke up, and argued with his internal clock everytime he wished to fall asleep. Even after… he blanked on how long he had been in his world, but he could only assume that it had been a long time. Anyway, even after that foggy and vague amount of time, the light still was as problematic as ever. But light demanded Owen to rise to action.

The day was about to be like any other. Wake up in the corner of the world farthest away from the opening, get up, stretch, fill the time till first meal, fill the time till measuring, and fill the time till sleep. Though, the moment Owen became conscious again, something was decidedly off. When Owen tried to hoist himself into his hunched posture, a sharp pain stabbed at his back. His face twisted in pain, surrendering to sit back down. His hands rubbed his back to try to soothe it, but it made him aware that he could feel each vertebrate. A sign that the minimal feeding he had been receiving was starting to catch up with him. After a few more seconds of rubbing, Owen got up, for real this time, each movement prompting a dull ache form his spine. It was quite the perplexing incident. This hadn’t happened before, even after the durastic posture change. Regardless, he stood, rocking onto the balls of his feet. Standing flat foot meant most of his weight was too heavy on this backside and he’d be sent to the ground with an ungraceful thud. Being up on the balls of his feet was uncomfortable for a bit as well, and he didn’t have the balance down yet, unable to run or even walk long distances, but it was better than forcing a way that didn’t work anymore.

Owen hobbled, his hide stretching and pulling uncomfortably. He walked a bit, scanning his barren surroundings for a sign of change. Everything was the same, yet it all felt different. The mirror in the room shone the same. The lights frizzed and flickered. The red lights shrieked. The opening was still sealed. So why did he feel like everything was going to be turned onto its head?

Maybe because they were. In moments, the metal screeched, pushing into his room as a person stepped in. Owen eyed the coated man with unease, and suspicion. There was no meat this time. Usually meat came first, then check-up. Even then, it was far too early for them to have been feeding him His amber eyes narrowed, unstable feet stepping back. The person held a syringe, remaining calm. “Owen, I just need you to come here, so we can do this the easiest way possible.” His statement wasn’t very convincing, and Owen was far werier of needles ever since the last time he let one of the people inject him. The person sighed, taking confident steps forward. Each step the person took sent Owen a step back, until he pressed his back into the corner. The person’s figure approached, his gait quick and confident. Now that the opening was no longer covered in metal and the form of the person was in front of him, Owen could see that just beyond, there were even more people. A mass that waited for something with vaguely familiar objects in hand that looked like they could kill upon command. He pulled his lips back, trying to seem intimidating to the person, but his hands were pulled close to his chest, the still forming 3 fingers curling anxiously as the claws clinked against each other. Never once did the person falter. “I’m doing you a favor, Owen. I’m sure this isn’t a fun time for you, and we are all tired of waiting, so just hold still and we can get this all over with.” The meanings behind half of the words have been lost to Owen long ago, so he could find no solace in them. The person reached for one of Owen’s arms, invading his space. Instinct yanked the other arm to tear his new claws into the person’s arm. His eyes were squeezed shut so he didn’t have to look at the person trying to hurt him. It only made the person angry. He called out for reinforcements, and the mass outside filtered in. Owen’s eyes snapped open as thin but strong wires secured themselves around his arms and one around his neck. A few of the very dangerous seeming weapons were shoved against his cheek. The frigid metal made Owen cease his struggle, eyes trained on the end. He barely registered the insertion and removal of the needle, only really seeing the person step back, turn and leave. The mass followed without one glance backwards. They just left Owen dazed and confused.

Owen pulled himself out of the corner, shaking. He looked down at his hands, then up to where the needle entered. His mind was sent into a racing panic, expecting symptoms to hit immediately. He backed away from the corner, eyes trained on his arm. Nothing happened, but that did little to dampen his apprehension. He let his gaze wander around the room, connecting his sights with the red lights. They were as terrified as he was. 

Moving about the room once more, Owen’s shaky and unstable steps were more cautious, and his eyes had a tendency to flicker back to the opening. His mind half expected something to burst out of it again, but nothing ever did. The stillness of the air did little to soothe his rapidly increasing paranoia. He passed over the mirror once more, eyes meeting themselves. They searched, wondering if they could pick up any changes. Surprisingly enough, there were. It looked like someone started to pull his mouth, and his eyes had started to bulge. It was very subtle, but noticeable. 

This only freaked Owen out more, his body bolting back to hit the platform in the middle of his world. He looked at the rest of his body that he could see, and couldn’t see anything else. His breathing struggled to calm down, closing his eyes in concentration. He stood there, inhaling, and exhaling, letting the time pass. In his fight to remain half calm, his body’s aching started to increase. His melding fingers felt like there was an immense pressure on them that further urged them together. His spine was pushing against his flesh, and his tailbone was trying to pierce through. Everything throbbed painfully as Owen pressed his hands and rapidly growing claws against his head as if it would alleviate any of the pain he was experiencing. 

The longer Owen stood there the more the pain increased as new sore, and aching spots sprouted. His knees grew weak, and he curled up onto the floor. His teeth gritted together, a low growl emitting from his throat. Every part hurt, every part pushed and tore away. He opened his mouth to scream, but what came out was a roar. Gasping, he pressed his skull against the floor. It didn’t stop the pain. What would stop the pain? He couldn’t think, he couldn’t feel anything but pain, why was he in pain!? Another roar, calling. Calling for something. Anything. He didn’t know how to speak, how to tell anything that he could feel his bones push out of his flesh. Claws scraped, head throbbed, curling away, trying to get away. All he could do was call, call for anything, or nothing. Muscles tore, pull, stretch, tear, push, painfully, pain, fear. He was scared. He couldn’t run. Too much, all was too much. Distract, take the pain away was all he wanted. A pleading screech to anything. Anything was out there. He opened his eyes. Looking up, down. He needed, he needed anything. Anything had to stop this. Push, pushing up, curling back, pulling, breaking, healing, pulling, it hurt he had to get away. Breathing was painful. Crying was painful. People. People had hurt him. Pull, break, push, heal, break, break, pain, fear, anger. People. This was people’s fault. They hurt him. Why? How? Why would they? No answers, he didn’t have answers. The pain, the pain, he can’t think. Screeching, roaring, crying, all hurt. Everything hurt. A growl. Hunger. Hunger, he was hungry. More pain, new pains came. Why was there so much pain? Hurt, pain, break, heal, pull, tear, blood, hunger, food. Food he needed food. Anything, anything was food. Food could stop the pain. Hunger, he was so hungry. People kept his food. Where was the food. Sniffing, he can’t smell. It burned, it hurt. He needed to get out, he needed to eat, he was in pain he was so hungry!

Tail thrashing. Nose flaring. Eyes narrowing. Pain, so much pain. 

He needed food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it's bad. I have never done body horror before.


	6. Other Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He watches till he has humanity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I missed last week and am 1 day late and I am sincerely sorry. I hope this suffices.  
> Any constructive criticism would be especially appreciated for this one.

Wu sat at his regular desk, hand propping his head up as he scrolled through previous test files. He sifted through the data, just to prepare himself for what could happen next in the subject’s transformation. The office around him was in slight disarray, and had a thin coat of dust to keep it warm while Wu was off in the observation room. He never spent much time away from the subject, only to sleep and eat. He’d sit there and just watch the shadow of a man shamble around, searching for something. Many times he wanted to ask it what it was looking for each time it stared at itself. He had so much to ask it. What did it remember? Did it recognize him? Questions pooled at the bottom of his mind, more arising with each day. Every day, the subject would spend more time looking at itself. It was only when Wu looked back through his files, did he realize what the subject was looking for. The dawning of this realization pulled at his heart a bit, and weighed his mind. It was looking for itself, a sign of what it used to be. This answer brought new and old questions to light. What did the subject think it looked like before all this happened? Who did it remember? Did it know what the world was like?

 

The rampant thoughts only brought Wu a headache, making him sigh deeply. He rubbed his temples with his fingers, eyebrows furrowed in thought. He heard a knock on the doorframe to his office, calling the head scientist to look up at his visitor. He sighed again. “Mayburn.” His greeting was curt, eyes flicking back to his computer screen. The soft tap of converse against smooth tile echoed as Dr. Mayburn approached Wu and his desk.

 

“Doctor,” she breathed out, sounding worn. “You know why I am here.” Her tone was matter-of-fact, and tired of having this conversation over and over again. 

 

Wu leaned back into his chair, reluctantly looking up to the woman. Her auburn hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and wire framed glasses sat high up on her nose. “I won’t rush the process, no matter what the rest of the team says.” He spoke pointedly, not prepared to hear the arguments that the rest of the researchers loaded into Mayburn this time. “But, as usual, I’ll humor them. What’s the argument this time?” He waved his hand flippantly, letting the motions fall.

 

Mayburn crossed her hands over her chest, eyes meandering around the room. “It’s not so much an argument, but a threat.” She didn’t see Wu jolt in his chair, but she heard the plastic parts clatter from a sudden movement. “They’re going over your head if you don’t comply.” A hint of disdain could be heard.

 

The news made Wu groan in frustration, holding his head in his hands knowing that he was backed into a corner now. “Why the hell is this so important to them anyway? What do they gain from forcing the subject through rapid transformation?”

 

Mayburn hummed, tapping the side of her arm in thought. “Well, the jist is that if they speed up the process than the changes would be more noticeable since it’s over a shorter period of time. Along with them getting impatient about how slow the virus is moving through his body. Some of them are fearing that the subject’s white blood cells are attacking the viruses, and they want to make sure that the transformation is complete before the immune system has time to eradicate the virus.” The scientist dropped her arms and opted to shove them in the pockets of her freshly washed lab coat. “Then, some are just eager to test out the catalyst they made.” She tried to meet eyes with Wu to figure out what his move was going to be.

 

With one final huff, Wu resigned, and said in a defeated tone, “Alright. Send in Dr. Seiji to administer the serum. Have some guards on hold just incase it’s feral nature has set in over night.” He waved Mayburn off never making eye contact. Soft steps clicked on the floor as the auburn woman turned to tell the team their wishes have been granted. Wu furrowed his eyebrows and called out again, stopping her. “Wait.” The steps stopped. “Tell them that they can do it in an hour. I should let Barry know.” A silent moment, and then she was gone, and Wu was left to call up the last raptor trainer. The phone stared at him, daring him to pick it up. Another moment, and Wu pulled the receiver up to his ear and dialed in the number to Barry’s cell phone that was scribbled onto a sticky note, counting the rings.

 

Once. Twice. Thre- the click of the call patching through resonated. “What do you want Wu?” There was no forced formality Barry’s tone.

 

“Some of the doctors here have formulated a serum that should speed up your friend’s transformation. I think it would be best if you would come do- uh… hello? Barry?” The call had cut without another word from the trainer, prompting a very frustrated groan from Wu. “Fine, I guess I’ll see you here,” he muttered to no one as he hung the phone up and leaned back in his chair. He stared up at the ceiling. It was white tiling with black speckles, similar to the ones he remembered from his young, childhood days. The subject stared at the very same tiles that it had in its chamber, with a vast interest. Wu didn’t see what was so fascinating about them.

 

It didn’t take long for a loud bang to alert everyone in the lab that Barry had arrived. Wu let out a breath he had been holding, and stood up as calmly as he could considering that a storm of emotions would be thundering into his office in the matter of seconds. 

 

“Wu!” Speak of the devil. The trainer’s voice reverberated in Wu’s office, causing the owner of it the office to wince. Barry approached, easily towering over the smaller scientist. “What’s this talk about ‘speeding up Owen’s transformation!?’ What exactly does this mean?”

 

Wu backed out of his desk, walking around to get to the confinement cell. “Listen, some of our sciententist want to test out a catalyst they’ve developed and right now, your friend is the only subject we have on our hands that we could test this on. Given these facts, I have deemed it best that you be here for it.” He walked forward, not looking back.

 

Wu’s thoughtfulness went unnoticed. “So what, I can watch my friend bend and contort into a monster?,” he asked, malice dripping from every word. He pursued Wu, recognizing the halls that lead to the observation room. 

 

Wu didn’t give a response, silently opening the door to the small room. Barry entered, not without giving Wu a harsh glare. He sat himself in one of the observing chairs, but the couldn’t see out of the window due to the metal cover that had been pulled down. Wu locked the door and sat in front of the computer system, tilting the screen so Barry could watch if he wanted to. The trainer peered over, seeing his friend curled up in a corner of the room, underneath one of the four security cameras. He didn’t look too different from the last time Barry saw him which was two days ago. An army of footsteps could be heard outside the room, and they both knew that the time had come. Just in time, the subject awoke. It was obviously in pain, standing up on the balls of its feet at staggering out into the center of the room.

 

The cameras showed a doctor enter the room, syringe in hand and a calm demeanor. A small, shiny, black name tag read Dr. Gomen Seiji PhD Genetics. The subject, however was obviously weary. There was no sound, but it could be seen that the doctor was talking nonchalantly to the man-beast. He advanced, and it backed away. Cogs in its brain turned, and it obviously made some sort of association, and backed itself into a corner. Wu noted that Barry was watching with wide eyes. Dr. Seiji did not slow until he was only a foot away from the subject. He reached over with his free hand to try to grab its arm, but it lashed out before he could get a hold. Seiji jumped back, silently grimacing and obviously angry. Soldiers filtered in, some with ketch all poles in hand, others with semi automatic guns. Barry was quick to protest, screaming at Wu that, “they can’t do this,” and “he’s still a human being.” Wu tuned him out, almost entranced by what was going on in there. With a morbid curiosity, he watched, hands folded in front of his face and his eyebrows ever so slightly upturned. A part of Wu’s stomach churned.

 

Men threw the loops around the subjects arms, and one around his neck. The wires tightened and pulled its limbs into place. Gun barrels were pressed against the hybrid looking creature’s neck. Barry could be heard shouting at them to stop before turning to leave the room, but Wu didn’t need to worry. The door was locked. Seiji prepped one of the restrained arms, and injected the catalyst into the subject. As the needle pulled out, so did everyone else. Barrels withdrawn, poles stowed away, people filed out of the room, and Seiji left to find someone to patch up his wound. The subject was left alone again. It was terrified, and confused, that much was clear. Barry sat back down, staring with the same intensity that Wu was, but for different reasons. 

 

It didn’t take long for the changes to become apparent, and the subject seemed to notice too. It’s face started to pull out into a snout, and its eyes began to bulge. It freaked out, backing into the examination table that lay in the middle of the confinement room. The rapid rise and fall of its chest was obvious as it stood petrified. Moments passed and it started to press its clawed hands against its head and doubled over. Wu watched as the spine visibly twisted and pushed on the hide, each vertebrate protruding painfully. The tailbone extended, tearing through the flesh and scale outward. Blood sprayed, and dripped from the forming tail. It didn’t stop once it pushed out. The bones kept building out at a rapid pace as the rest of the subject contorted and bent into a new shape. It became too gruesome for Barry, turning away. Wu, however, just stared, almost unblinking. Its mouth was open, and faint screeches and roars could be heard through the walls. It was painful. Wu could hear Owen. He could hear Owen cry out in pain. He could hear Owen beg for it to stop. For the first time since the transformation started, Wu could see the man when he was the farthest away from any human resemblance. 

 

Soon enough, even Wu couldn’t watch Owen.


	7. Recognition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All is not lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Skipped a week and then give you a short chapter? Gee I am the worst.

Barry had his head in his hands. It felt like everything around him was falling apart. He didn’t even try to reconcile himself with the, “it’s all some fucked up dream,” bit. It didn’t do much good now. He could barely hear Owens roars and screeches from the other side of the thick walls. There was no connection between that sound and the voice of his friend. As he thought, Barry came to terms with the fact that he was now down one friend, and up one raptor, and their alpha no less. There was no way they could keep them satisfied now. Owen was the head of the pack’s operation, and the girls only listened to Barry because Owen was so insistent on him being a part of their lives. Barry could bank on the scientists’ thoughts that he would retain all of his knowledge into his raptor-hood, but that was very hard for the trainer to believe. But just maybe, there was some recognition in there. The room was colder, and he shivered involuntarily. A squeak sounded behind him, and a low, hushed voice. “Barry… I-”

“Stop.” With one word, Barry stood up to leave the room. “... And open this door. I’m going to see Owen.” His tone was strong and curt, making Wu rush over to unlock it. Barry didn’t make eye contact with the man as he exited and rounded the corner to the entrance of Owen’s enclosure. The door was locked from the outside with a heavy metal bar. Beyond, pained and desperate roars reverberated, only faint echoes of the torment bleeding through the walls. Barry pushed the bar across, unlocking the door and allowing him to push it open slowly. As it swung outwards, it revealed a large, bloodied, sandy brow raptor, body hanging low to the ground as it eyed the newcomer with distrust, and hunger. Barry held a hand out, and made direct eye contact with Owen, staring down his now brilliantly amber eyes. The trainer scarcely registered the sound of shoes rushing up behind him. Voices murmured and gossiped but that was unimportant to Barry.

Barry stepped in fully, pushing the metal door just enough so that the scientists would be out of Owen’s sight. The aforementioned raptor had his hands close to his chest, obviously scared, but his intelligent eyes blinked at Barry. He made no move to leap at his former friend, or still friend? Owen’s tail, newly scaled, and still very new and red stained, swished calmly, as the rest of him rose up. He cocked his head to one side, blinking a few times as the cogs turned in his head. Barry stood perfectly still, watching in awe as his, most definitely still existing, friend slowly registered who was there. A wave of relief crashed over Barry. Any normal raptor would’ve just killed him already, but he was alive, and Owen looked inquisitive. Maybe there was some bit of him in there. It was a nice thought that almost seemed plausible. The man approached one step, but that prompted Owen to leap back, snarling. His eyes narrowed, eyeing Barry as if he was unsure if he would hurt him or not. The trainer stopped, both hands held up in defense, trying to convey that he had nothing. Although, he worried that the meaning of the gesture would be lost to the raptor, since it seems as though Owen only had a vague recollection of Barry in the first place. The two stood there for minutes on end, each attempt at movement causing Owen to snarl dangerously. Barry just opted to stay still, and let the newly formed raptor decide what to do. Eventually, the creature took a shaky step. It walked cautiously up, legs wobbling like he was just hatched. His head bobbed with each step, his large talons clicking against tile. Barry remained perfectly still, only his eyes moving to follow his friend as he circled around the man he used to know. It took everything the man had to not straight up hug his disfigured friend, but in due time, he got his reward. The raptor stood in front of him, head turned so that one eye was fully fixated on Barry. Owen’s amber eye flicked to reexamine the trainer’s body before letting his nose push into Barry’s open palm. The man held his breath, relaxing his fingers so that they could curl around the snout. The hide was rough and he could feel every scale and bump. The nostrils flared in time with Owen’s breathing, and Barry felt like he was in a movie the moment man tames beast, except everything leading up to a normally triumphant moment was utterly horrifying. He looked into Owen’s eyes, and he felt so sorry for his friend. 

The sound of an object cutting through the air broke the moment between the two. Owen backed away, startled and his gaze shot to his side, where a small dart was lodged, a tuft of vibrant red standing out against Owen’s earthy skin. The raptor shrieked, but it quickly died in his throat, his eyelids fluttering as the tranquilizer dart took a swift effect. Barry backed up as the creature crashed to the ground, but was quickly by his friend’s side again, dropping to his knees to rest his hands on Owen’s neck. He heard gruff voices shouting at each other, or more so one voice commanding a sea of others. The trainer glared up as soldiers once again, filtered into the room, guns at the ready as some miscellaneous workers at the park came in as well. They all stared at him expectantly. He could take a hint, and stood, backing away from the body as the workers picked it up and lugged it away. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Barry could catch Wu arguing with one of the captains. It didn’t matter to him though. The trainer just pushed through the crowd and out into the open lab. The rooms were empty, and everything was neatly packaged away. At least they didn’t leave any dangerous experiments out while they all gawked at his friend’s transformation. He stepped through the doors into the world once more. He looked up into the blue sky. It was vibrant, and only a few stray clouds marred it’s surface. It was all too cheerful, and it made Barry sick. He squinted, and marched back to his bike. The engine started up, and he tore off into the dirt road, not once sparing a glance back at the facility.


End file.
